Upholding Human Dignity in Turbulent Times: An Interreligious Convening

Upholding Human Dignity in Turbulent Times: An Interreligious Convening

Monday and Tuesday, November 17 and 18, 2025
In Person at JTS
3080 Broadway (at 122nd St)
New York City

This two-day convening will bring together religious leaders, scholars, and activists from diverse traditions to explore the urgent imperative of safeguarding human dignity, well-being, and fundamental rights in the face of ongoing challenges.

U.S Senator Chris Coons of Delaware will deliver a keynote address: “Fostering a Just Democracy Through Belief and Interreligious Engagement” with an introduction by Rabbi Jack Moline.

The Henry N. and Selma S. Rapaport Memorial Lecture will occur on Monday, November 17 at 6:00 PM. Special guest Bill McKibben, the founder of Third Act, will be speaking on climate change, emerging technology, and other threats to human well-being.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2025

8:30–9:15 A.M. Breakfast

9:15–9:30 A.M. Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:30–10:45 A.M. Frameworks in Conversation: Jewish and Interfaith Perspectives

• Moderator: Rabbi Gordon Tucker, Vice Chancellor for Religious Life and Engagement, JTS
• Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director, Interfaith Center New York
• Rabbi Dr. Shai Held, President and Dean, Hadar Institute
• Dr. Jerusha Rhodes, Associate Professor of Islam & Interreligious Engagement
  Director, Islam-Focused Degree Programs
• Dr. Heather Miller Rubens, Executive Director and Roman Catholic Scholar, Institute for Islamic Christian and Jewish Studies

11:00–11:45 A.M. Fostering a Just Democracy through Belief and Interreligious Engagement: A Talk by Senator Chris Coons of Delaware with an introduction by Rabbi Jack Moline

12:00–1:15 P.M. Borders Within: The Human Impact of Detention, Raids, and Deportation

• Moderator: Dr. Tamara Neuman, Director of Convenings, JTS
• Dr. Ulla Berg, Associate Professor of Latino and Caribbean Studies and Anthropology, Rutgers University-New Brunswick
• Michelle Dibblee, Missioner for Equity and Justice, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
• Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador, AJWS and Co-Chair, Interfaith Center of NY
• Kyle Elizabeth Barron JD, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Immigrant Rights Clinic/Community Equity Lab at New York University Law School

1:15–2:15 P.M. Lunch

2:30–3:45 P.M. Workshops: Interactive sessions designed for learning, conversation, and shared action.

• Migrant Solidarity in Action
  • Michelle Dibblee, Missioner for Equity and Justice, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
  • Rev. Dr. Dorothee Benz, Sacred Court Support leadership team
• Safeguarding Democracy: Jewish Values and Global Lessons for Action
  • Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
• The Work of Welcome: Faith, Memory, and Moral Courage
  • Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador, AJWS and Co-Chair, Interfaith Center of NY

4:00-5:15 P.M. Gender, Sexuality, and Inclusion

• Moderator: Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, Pearl Resnick Dean of The Rabbinical School and Dean of the Division of Religious Leadership, JTS
• Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Senior Rabbi Emerita, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
• Rev. Dr. Eric Thomas, Assistant Professor of Bible, The General Theological Seminary and Pastor at Siloam Presbyterian Church
• Dr. Paisley Currah, Professor of Political Science and Women’s & Gender Studies at Brooklyn College and of Political Science, Women’s & Gender Studies, and English at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York

6:00 P.M. The Henry N. and Selma S. Rapaport Memorial Lecture with special guest Bill McKibben, the founder of Third Act, will be speaking on climate change, emerging technology, and other threats to human well-being. Dr. Adriane Leveen, Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible Emerita, Hebrew Union College, and Co-Founder of Jewish Climate Action Network NYC, will serve as moderator.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2025

8:30–9:30 A.M. Breakfast

9:45–10:00 A.M. Welcome and Opening Remarks

10:00–11:15 A.M. Hunger, Displacement, and Civilian Suffering

• Moderator: Dr. Shira Billet, Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics and Academic Director of JTS’s Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice, JTS
• Menachem Z. Rosensaft, Adjunct Professor of Law, Cornell Law School, and Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School
• Rev. Adam Phillips, CEO, Interfaith America, former Executive Director, Local, Faith, and Transformative Partnerships Hub, USAID
• Ven. Bhikku Bodhi, President, Buddhist Association of the United States

11:30 A.M.–12:45 P.M. Workshops: Interactive sessions designed for learning, conversation, and shared action.

• Shared Values, Shared Responsibility: Faith-Based Approaches to Basic Needs
  • Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, Associate Dean, JTS Rabbinical School, Executive Director, JTS Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice
  • Kim Behan, Executive Director, Buddhist Global Relief
  • Sylvie Sun, Board Member, Buddhist Global Relief Foundation
  • Rabbi Elizabeth Richman,  Associate Director for Jewish Engagement and Advocacy, American Jewish World Service
• The Moral Crisis in Our Backyard; Faith, Dignity, and Hope on Rikers Island
  • Rabbi Hilly Haber, Director of Social Justice Organizing and Education, Central Synagogue
• Personal Dignity, Shared Responsibility: Introspection as a Path to Empathy and Action
  • Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, President and Dean of Valley Beit Midrash, Scottsdale, AZ
• The Ethics of Peace: Building Dignity Across Divides
  • Dr Paul Root Wolpe, Raymond F. Schinazi Distinguished Research Chair of Jewish Bioethics, Emory University

12:45-1:45 P.M. Lunch

2:00–3:15 P.M. Healthcare Access as a Human Right

• Moderator: Rabbi Dr. Naomi Kalish, Harold and Carole Wolfe Director of the Center for Pastoral Education and assistant professor of Pastoral Education, JTS
• Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, President and Dean of Valley Beit Midrash, Scottsdale, Arizona
• Dr. Paul Root Wolpe, Jewish Bioethics, Professor in Medicine, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Biological Behavior, Emory University
• Dr. Amanda Alladin, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Miami/ Jackson Memorial Medical Center
• Dr. Diana Romero, Professor, Dept. of Community Health and Social Sciences and Director of Maternal, Child, Reproductive and Sexual Health, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health

3:30–4:45 P.M. Religious Ethics and the Dehumanizing Potential of Emerging Technologies

• Moderator: Dr. David Zvi Kalman, Research Fellow, Kogod Research Center, Shalom Hartman Institute
• Dr. Nadav S. Berman, Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Jewish Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University, and at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Yeshiva University
• Dr. Timothy Beal, Distinguished University Professor and Florence Harkness Professor of Religion, Department of Religious Studies, Case Western Reserve University
• Dr. Peter Hershock, Adjunct Senior Fellow and coordinator of Human AI initiative, East/West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

5:00–6:00 P.M. Fostering Dialogue and Unity for Dignity and Democratic Preservation

• Moderator: Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Jewish Thought, JTS
• Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President, Union Theological Seminary
• Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor and Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History, JTS

General admission: $100 for one day, $180 for both days
Discounts available for students and educators.

Add To Calendar